Women’s clothing decisions are fraught with implications. What a woman wears is subject to both male and female eyes, but what each gender desires to see differs.
The clothing that a woman wears that draws in compliments and the attention of other women is often very different from what intrigues men.
Recently, the terms “male gaze” and “female gaze” have been floating around social media. specifically when makeup or women’s appearance is discussed. Gen-Z, people born between 1997 and 2012, will often use “boy pretty” or “girl pretty” when talking about a woman’s looks. The idea is that men classify attractiveness and define the features that make a woman beautiful much differently then women do. When it comes to women’s attire, often clothing items are divided into groups: those that get praise from men and those that get praise from women.
The stereotypical answer for what appeals more to men usual involves a woman’s body, or a more “dolled up” look. A female junior boarder agree that often when she receives flattering remarks from a boy, it’s not typically in her everyday attire.
“When a guy compliments me I feel like it’s always when I’m dressed up or like have clearly put in a lot of effort to be like that,” she said.
A junior male boarder supports this idea, saying that guys often collectively agree that girls look pretty in their convocation dresses.
Knowing this, according to female students who spoke to The Willistonian, women’s formal attire is often impacted by male opinion. While girls will often praise each other for their stylish dresses, admiration is frequently given about everyday outfits.
“I feel like girls are more interested in everyday outfits and more casual outfits,” a female junior boarder said. “I feel like I’ve been complimented on hoodies or sweatpants, or the leggings that I’m wearing.”
Brands such as Lululemon and Madhappy are repeatedly praised by teenage girls, since they are popular among the age group and across social media. This can make it difficult to stay on trend when a dress code, like Williston’s, doesn’t allow these items.
She also noted trending items, such as baggy jeans, which do fall within dress code.
According to an article by Alyson Brinkle titled “Dressing For The Female Gaze Versus The Male Gaze,” when dressing for the female gaze, women’s personalities and individuality are more visible.
“This realization of dressing for the female gaze allows women to step out of the narrow confines of fashion and exercise the idea of dressing intuitively to their own desires,” she stated.
What many girls wonder is whether what they wear actually matters to a guy.
According to a senior male boarder, “other than the beginning stage [of a relationship], I don’t think it matters as much.” He believes that in some occasions a girl’s attire can make her appear prettier, but guys don’t care about clothing as much as girls think they do.
A junior male boarder had a similar opinion, but felt that once you get to know a girl, what she wears doesn’t change your opinion on her.
“If you like a girl based on her looks and her personality, she could be in a hoodie or a sweater and it would still be the same person,” he said.
As for female opinion on receiving a comment on what they are wearing, a majority agree that the feeling it results in depends on who it is coming from.
“Definitely [getting complimented has] never been uncomfortable when a girl has done it. When a guy has done it, sometimes depending on what the connation is, depending on how well I know them it can be a little weird, but usually it’s not,” Charlie Honig, a junior from Amherst, Mass., said.
“I feel like for girls it’s a lot more normalized, for guys it really depends on who it is,” a female junior boarder agrees.
While who we dress for can change regularly, for most, it funnels down to fitting in, since high school often revolves around not wanting to appear as an outsider.
As Charlie puts it, “as much as I don’t want to admit it, I mostly dress for other people, not for myself. I dress to blend in and look like everyone else.”
